Study Desk

The traders who bought Joseph took him down to Egypt. They sold him to the captain of Pharaoh's guard, Potiphar.

The last three tribes in the line were the rear guard for all the other tribes. These were the groups from Dan's camp. They traveled under their flag. The first group was the tribe of Dan. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was their commander.

He said, "Cover the entrance to the cave with large rocks. Put some men there to guard the cave.

The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took the Lord 's Holy Box up the hill to the house of Abinadab the priest. They performed a special ceremony to prepare Abinadab's son, Eleazar, to guard the Lord 's Holy Box.

David said, "You are an important man, aren't you? You are better than any other man in Israel. Is that right? So why didn't you guard your master, the king? An ordinary man came into your camp to kill your master, the king.

Absalom ran away. There was a guard standing on the city wall. He saw many people coming from the other side of the hill, and went to tell the king.

but several important men did not join Adonijah. They were Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and King David's special guard.

But he did not invite his brother Solomon, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, or the men in the king's special guard.

The king came by and the prophet said to him, "I went to fight in the battle. One of our men brought an enemy soldier to me. The man said, ‘Guard this man. If he runs away, you will have to give your life in his place or you will have to pay a fine of 75 pounds of silver.'

There was one officer who always stayed close by the king to help him. The king sent this officer to guard the gate, but the people knocked him down and trampled him, and he died. So everything happened just as the man of God had said when the king came to Elisha's house.

A guard was standing on the tower in Jezreel. He saw Jehu's large group coming. He said, "I see a large group of people!" Joram said, "Send someone on a horse to meet them. Tell this messenger to ask if they come in peace."

So the messenger rode on a horse to meet Jehu. The messenger said, "King Joram says, ‘Do you come in peace?'" Jehu said, "You have nothing to do with peace. Come and follow me." The guard told Joram, "The messenger went to the group, but he has not come back yet."

The guard told Joram, "The second messenger went to the group, but he has not come back yet. There is a man driving his chariot like a mad man. He is driving like Jehu son of Nimshi."

Then Jehoiada gave them a command. He said, "This is what you must do. One-third of you, from those who go on duty on the Sabbath day, must stand guard at the royal palace.

Another third will be at the Sur Gate, and the other third will be at the gate behind the guard. This way you will stand guard over the palace on all sides.

Your two divisions who go off duty on the Sabbath day will stand guard at the Lord 's Temple and protect King Joash.

You must stay with him wherever he goes. The whole group must surround the king. Each guard must have his weapon in his hand, and you must kill anyone who comes too close to you."

So Jehoiada the priest took a box and made a hole in the top of it. Then he put the box on the south side of the altar. This box was by the door where people came into the Lord 's Temple. Some of the priests were there to guard this doorway. They took the money that people brought for the Lord 's temple and put it into this box.

In all there were 212 men who were chosen to guard the gates of the Holy Tent. Their names were written in their family histories in their small towns. David and Samuel the seer chose these men because they could be trusted.

Each family was given a gate to guard. Lots were thrown to choose a gate for a family. Young and old were treated the same.